I had really been looking forward to seeing Niagara Falls this summer. I had dreamt about driving out here when I started my road trip, but I wasn’t sure I would make it happen until I left Chicago. By that time, I stopped thinking about how far I would need to drive to get back to California, and I started focusing on how close I was to the East Coast. The drive from Chicago to Niagara Falls was about 8.5 hours without stops. I spent a few hours in Cleveland and made a stop to watch the sunset over Lake Erie along the way.

After spending a night in the nearby city of Buffalo, I entered the park at about 7:30 am. The parking lot was fairly empty when I pulled in. I knew this place was a popular tourist destination, so I woke up early to wander around before the crowds showed up.

 

 

 

After wandering around the park for a while, I finally decided to purchase a ticket for the ferry tour. I didn’t want to spend the money on it, but I stepped into the gift shop and saw photos from the boat and I was sold. I thought that observing the falls from the pedestrian walkways was satisfying enough, but experiencing them from the boat was much more impressive. If you ever visit, do not skip out on the Maid of the Mist tour!